Method and device for closing tubular knitted article at one axial end thereof at end of production cycle on circular knitting machine for hosiery or like

Abstract

A method of closing a tubular knitted article (101) at one axial end at the end of the production cycle of a circular knitting machine of hosiery or the like, characterized in that it comprises the following initial steps:-closing the tubular knitted article (101) at one axial end by holding the knitting stitches of the last row on the needles of the needles forming them. Producing the article (101) to the formation of a last row of knit, the last row of knit being at an axial end of the article arranged opposite the axial end at which the knit begins; and the following steps:-individually picking up the knitting stitches by means of the picking-up means (11); -removing the article (101) from the machine producing the article (101), holding each knitting stitch of the last formed knitting row by means of a pick-up member (11); -positioning the article (101) at the sewing station or at the seaming station; -individually transferring the knitting loops from the pick-up member (11) to spokes (4) of an annular treatment device (60) comprising two semi-annular elements (3a, 3b), one of which can be turned about a diameter axis (202) relative to the other, at least one first group of spokes (4) having at least one retaining portion (5) along its longitudinal extension (102), the holding portions (5) extend transversely with respect to a longitudinal extension axis (102) of the spokes (4), the individual transfer step comprising a step of translating a respective knitted stitch from the pick-up member (11) at least to a corresponding holding portion (5) of a respective spoke (4) of at least one first set of spokes; -reversing the article (101) held by the processing device (60); overlaying each knitting stitch of one half of the last knitting row on a corresponding knitting stitch of the other half on the same spoke (4) of the processing device (60) by turning over one (3b) of the two semi-annular elements of the processing device (60) about the diameter axis (202) by an arc of approximately 180 DEG relative to the other semi-annular element (3a); -knitting or seaming a pair of knitting stitches arranged one above the other in a mesh-to-mesh manner; -disengaging the article (101) from the treatment device (60).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like. Background Technology

[0002] It is known that tubular knitted products such as socks are typically manufactured using circular hosiery knitting machines, and that both axial ends of the product are open when removed from the machine.

[0003] For socks, the toes need to be closed after they are removed from the machines that produce them. This operation is performed using a sewing machine (toe sewing machine) or a stitch sewing machine.

[0004] Since this operation requires additional machinery and manpower, which significantly impacts the overall manufacturing cost of sock production, several technologies have been proposed to automatically close the toe of sock articles, or more generally, to close the axial ends of tubular knitted articles manufactured using circular knitting machines for socks or similar items.

[0005] The various technologies proposed so far can be divided into two main categories: the first category includes technologies based on performing closure directly on the machine that produces the product, whether at the beginning or end of its production; the second category includes technologies based on performing closure at a dedicated sewing station or eyelet sewing station, which is separated from the machine that produces the product.

[0006] The first type has the significant drawback of limiting machine productivity because closed-loop operation requires a certain amount of time during which the machine cannot produce new products.

[0007] The second type, such as the technology described in Italian Patent IT1,300,622, is able to overcome the problem at least in part because the production potential of the machine is only affected by the time required to remove the article from the machine that produced it, after which the machine can begin producing new articles while the previous articles are sewn or stitched together.

[0008] On the other hand, the operation of transferring products from the production machine to the matching sewing station often requires the use of complex equipment that must ensure extremely precise operation.

[0009] EP2250305B1, under the name of Lonati, describes a method for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end of its production cycle at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, comprising an initial step of producing the article to the formation of the last knitted row by holding the knitted loops of the last knitted row at the needle of the machine that formed them, the last knitted row being located at the axial end of the article opposite to the axial end where the knitting began; and characterized in that it includes the following additional operational steps: - The knitting loops are picked up individually using a pickup component, which is arranged against the needle bar of each needle and positioned near the area of ​​the needle tongue opposite the needle tip; – Remove the product from the machine that produced it, retaining each knit loop of the final knit row with the help of the pick-up member; - Position the product at the weaving station or the stitching station; – The knitting loop is individually transferred from the pickup member to the spokes of an annular processing device (or conveying device) consisting of two semi-annular elements, one of which is capable of rotating about a diameter axis relative to the other semi-annular element. - Flip the article held by the processing device; – By means of an arc in which one of the two semi-circular elements of the processing device is rotated about 180° relative to the other semi-circular element about the diameter axis, each knitting loop of the last half-knitting row is overlapped on the corresponding knitting loop of the other half-row on the same spoke of the processing device; - Sew or stitch together pairs of knitted loops that are stacked on top of each other; – Remove the product from the processing device.

[0010] While traditional solutions are effective, they can be structurally complex in some cases.

[0011] Furthermore, in conventional solutions, the knitted coils delivered to the processing device during the flipping of the semi-circular element and before the flipping step are subjected to stress due to the flipping operation, which may lead to the risk of the knitted coils being removed from the corresponding spokes. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end at the end of a production cycle on a circular hosiery knitting machine or the like, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art in one or more of the above aspects.

[0013] Within this scope, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device that can be installed on a wide range of circular knitting machines for socks or the like.

[0014] Another objective of this invention is to provide a device that is simple in structure, occupies little space, and can be manufactured at a competitive cost.

[0015] Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, which is highly reliable, relatively easy to implement, and cost-competitive.

[0016] The foregoing objectives, and these and other objectives that will become more apparent below, are achieved by a method and apparatus according to the independent claim for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end of its production cycle at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, the method and apparatus optionally having the features of one or more dependent claims. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of some preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the method and apparatus according to the invention for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the steps of positioning the article held by the pick-up component at the sewing station or the eyelet sewing station, wherein a handling device (or conveying device) and a flipper are arranged in an axial sectional view. Figures 2 to 3 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of transferring a knitted loop separately from the pickup member of the pickup device to the spoke of the processing device, wherein the processing device and the flipper are shown in an axial sectional view; Figure 4 and Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the step of flipping the article held by the processing device; Figure 5 It is a cross section and Figure 4 A similar schematic diagram illustrates the steps of overlapping each knitting loop of one half of the last knitting row onto the corresponding knitting loop of the other half of the last knitting row on the same spoke of the processing device by flipping one of the two semi-circular elements constituting the body of the processing device relative to the other semi-circular element through an arc of approximately 180°, and the steps of sewing or stitching the overlapping pairs of knitting loops together. Figure 6 and Figure 6a These are side views of two other embodiments of the processing device, wherein the semi-circular elements are arranged to be substantially coplanar; Figure 7 and Figure 7a They are Figure 6 and Figure 6a A top view of the processing device; Figures 8 to 10 It is a sequence view in which a semi-circular element is flipped through an arc of approximately 180°; Figure 11 and Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the first set of spokes from two different angles; Figure 12 and Figure 14 This is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the first set of spokes from two different angles; Detailed Implementation

[0018] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the device according to the invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 1, is for closing a tubular knitted article 101 at one axial end at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, and substantially comprises: a pick-up device 10 movable from a machine (not shown) for producing the article 101 to a sewing station or stitching station laterally spaced from the machine; a processing device 60; a flipper 130; and a sewing head or stitching head 170, all of which are arranged at the sewing station or stitching station.

[0019] The circular knitting machine for producing articles 101, specifically for socks or similar garments, is preferably configured as a single-cylinder or double-cylinder circular machine, with the cylinder arranged in a manner known in the art, its axis oriented vertically. A plurality of axial grooves are provided on the side surface of the cylinder, each axial groove accommodating a needle capable of reciprocating along the corresponding axial groove to form a knitted fabric.

[0020] The syringe may contain an aspiration tube, which is coaxial with the syringe in a manner known in the art. The upper end of the aspiration tube is open and sometimes goblet-shaped, and the aspiration tube is movable relative to the syringe along the axis, allowing a portion of its extension to protrude from the upper end of the syringe 42.

[0021] The needle is actuated in a manner known in the art, for example by means of cams arranged around the syringe barrel, and can engage with a needle heel that projects radially from the side surface of the syringe barrel, as the syringe barrel rotates about its axis relative to the cams. Machine 41 is of a substantially known type and will not be described further for clarity.

[0022] The pickup device 10 includes an annular body arranged such that its axis 11a is vertical; the body is preferably fixed to the end of an arm arranged horizontally, and its opposite end is connected to a sleeve having a vertical axis. The sleeve is coaxially mounted around a hollow shaft and rotates integrally with the hollow shaft about its axis. The hollow shaft is supported by a support structure to allow it to rotate about its axis; this support structure may be a support structure of the machine itself or a separate support structure, which may optionally be associated with the machine's support structure.

[0023] The body of the pickup device 10 has, for example, a plurality of radial grooves, each of which accommodates a pickup member 11, allowing the pickup member to slide.

[0024] Each pickup member 11 advantageously has a layered body arranged in a radial plane relative to the axis 11a of the body.

[0025] More specifically, the number of pickup members 11 carried by the body of the pickup device 10 is the same as the number of needles in the machine, and the pickup members 11 are arranged at angular intervals around the axis 11a of the body, which corresponds to the angular intervals between the needles of the machine around the axis of the syringe.

[0026] Adaptive control elements typically found in modern circular knitting machines used for socks or similar garments allow for precise angular positioning of the cylinder relative to the machine's support structure about its axis, and thus allow each needle of the machine to be positioned radially aligned with the seat of the corresponding pick-up member 11 when needed.

[0027] In addition, the device 1 includes a processing device 60 arranged at the sewing station or the stitching station. The processing device 60 is provided with an annular body 3, which includes two semi-annular elements 3a and 3b with spokes 4, which are arranged according to a cylindrical surface having an axis 100 that coincides with the axis of the processing device body and is axially oriented.

[0028] To make it clearer, in Figures 7 to 10 Only a portion of spoke 4 is shown in dashed lines.

[0029] One of the two semi-annular elements (the one indicated by reference numeral 3b in the figures) is able to rotate about the diameter axis 202 relative to the other semi-annular element 3a, so that its spokes 4 face and align with the spokes of the other semi-annular element 3a alone, so as to allow the knitting loop to be transferred from the spokes 4 of one semi-annular element (in the specific case, semi-annular element 3a) to the spokes 4 of the other semi-annular element (semi-annular element 3b) of the processing device body.

[0030] The transfer of the coil from the needle of the semi-circular element 3a to the needle of the semi-circular element 3b can be performed using a pressing element or a pusher 6.

[0031] The device 1 also includes a flipper 130 for the tubular article 101, which is arranged at the sewing station or the eyelet sewing station and is operable to flip the tubular article held at one of its axial ends by the spokes 4 of the processing device 60.

[0032] A sewing head or stitching head 170 is arranged at the stitching station and is provided with sewing elements or stitching elements known in the art, which interact with the spokes 4 of the semi-circular element of the body of the processing device 60 to close the axial end of the article 101 by connecting the pairs of knitted loops carried by the same spokes 4 of the semi-circular element of the body of the processing device.

[0033] According to the invention, at least one first set of spokes 4 has at least one retaining portion 5 along its longitudinal extension 102, the retaining portion 5 extending laterally relative to the longitudinal extension axis of the pick-up spokes 4.

[0034] The device also has an axial pushing device 7 that interacts with the pickup member 11 of the pickup device 10 and the spokes 4 of the processing device 60 in the sewing station or the stitching station to perform a separate transfer of the knitting loop from the pickup member 11 to the spokes 4 of the processing device 60.

[0035] Specifically, the axial pushing device 7 is adapted to translate at least the knitted loop of the spoke 4, which is designed to be transferred to the first set of spokes, to the corresponding holding part 5.

[0036] It is desirable that the first set of pickup spokes 4 has at least one holding portion 5 along its longitudinal extension 102, and includes pickup spokes with at least semi-annular elements 3a and 3b arranged close to the diameter axis 202, wherein the semi-annular element 3b is rotatable about the diameter axis 202.

[0037] In addition, some spokes 4 have longitudinal grooves 4a that are designed to define a longitudinal seat that is configured to accommodate part of the sewing needle during the sewing process.

[0038] As is well known, spoke 4 can be a "male" type spoke or a "female" type spoke.

[0039] For example in Figure 12 and Figure 14 The “female” type spoke shown has a front recess 4b, which is designed to accommodate the tip portion of the “male” type spoke at the end of the flipping step, thereby facilitating the transfer of the knitting loop.

[0040] In any case, the first set of spokes 4 may correspond to all the spokes of the semi-annular elements 3a and 3b, or the first set of spokes 4 may include a plurality of spokes arranged at angular intervals around the axis 101 and may alternate with spokes that are not provided with retaining parts 5.

[0041] Preferably, between the support structure 3c of the semi-annular elements 3a and 3b and the semi-annular element 3b, two hinges 3d and 3d′ are arranged on opposite sides of the annular body 3.

[0042] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the two hinges 3d and 3d′ are arranged externally to the annular body. Therefore, during the process of the semi-annular element 3b rotating about the axis 202 so that its spokes 4 face and align individually with the spokes 4 of the other semi-annular element, thereby allowing the knitted coil to be transferred from the spokes of one semi-annular element 3a to the spokes of the other semi-annular element 3b of the processing device 60 body, the force and stress on the knitted coil engaged with the spokes 4 arranged close to the axis 202 are smaller.

[0043] Of course, such as Figure 6a and Figure 7a The embodiments shown do not exclude the use of a processing device 60 with a "conventional" annular body 30, i.e., in which the hinges 3d, 3d′ are arranged relative to the interior of the annular body 3.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment, the retaining part 5 includes a body 5a that can elastically deform in the radial direction relative to the extension direction 102 of the spoke 4 to change from an extended state to a retracted state. In the extended state, it has a first space occupancy in the radial direction, while in the retracted state, it has a second space occupancy smaller than the first space occupancy.

[0045] In particular, the elastically deformable body 5a is configured to change from an extended state to a retracted state due to the sliding of the corresponding knitted loop at the holding part 5, and is adapted to change from a retracted state to an extended state once the knitted loop has moved beyond the holding part 5.

[0046] For example, the elastically deformable body 5a includes a leaf spring.

[0047] According to a preferred embodiment, the body of the processing device 2 is oriented such that its axis 100 is vertical.

[0048] Preferably, the flipper 130 is arranged in a sewing station or a stitching station and includes a lower part (not shown) and an upper part, which are coaxially positioned with each other along a main vertical axis that coincides with the axis 100 of the body of the processing device 60.

[0049] The flipper 130 includes a tubular body 31a that can be inserted from below through the body of the processing device to flip the article 101 suspended from the spokes 4, thereby flipping it onto its outer surface, as will become more apparent below.

[0050] The lower part of the flipper 130 includes a lower support device for the tubular body and a lower actuation device along the axis 11a of the same tubular body, so that the tubular body passes through the body of the processing device 60 from the lowered position to the raised position. In the lowered position, the tubular body faces the downward region relative to the body of the processing device 60 with its upper axial end. In the raised position, the tubular body is above the body of the processing device 2 with its upper axial end and its lower axial end is arranged close to the body of the processing device 2.

[0051] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for closing a tubular knitted article 101 at one axial end at the end of a production cycle of a circular knitting machine used for socks or the like.

[0052] Due to the presence of the elastically deformable body 5a, the last row of knitted loops arranged around the spokes 4 are stably held, even during operation for flipping the semi-circular element 3b.

[0053] In fact, during the operation of flipping the semi-annular element 3b, near the diameter axis 202, the displacement of the spoke 4 generates tension on the sinking coil (located between the knitted coils housed around the spoke 4), and the tension tends to cause the knitted coils to slide toward the free end of the spoke 4.

[0054] The presence of the elastically deformable body 5a holds the corresponding knitted loop on the spoke, thereby suppressing its slippage.

[0055] If a heavier yarn is present, it is useful to use spokes 4 with elastically deformable bodies 5a along the entire extension of the annular body 3.

[0056] The method according to the present invention includes the following initial steps: – The production of article 101 continues until the final knitting line is performed at the axial end of the article, which is opposite to the axial end at the start of the knitting, and the knitting loop of the final knitting line is held in the needle of the needle 12 of the machine 10 that formed the knitting loop; and includes the following steps: – Pick up the knitting loops individually using the picking component 11; – Remove the product from the machine that produced it, and retain each knit loop of the last knit row formed by means of the pick-up component 11; - Position product 101 at the weaving station or the stitching station; – The knitted loops are individually transferred from the pickup member 11 to the spokes 4 of the ring processing device 60, which includes two semi-ring elements 3a and 3b, one of which is capable of flipping about a diameter axis 202 relative to the other semi-ring element. At least one first set of spokes of the spokes 4 has at least one holding portion 5 along its longitudinal extension 102, which extends laterally relative to the longitudinal extension axis 102 of the spokes 4. The individual transfer step includes the following steps: at least translating the corresponding knitted loop from the pickup member 11 to the corresponding holding portion 5 of the corresponding spoke 4 of at least one first set of spokes of the spokes; - Flip the article 101 held by the processing device 60; – By flipping one of the two semi-circular elements 3b of the processing device 60 about 180° relative to the other semi-circular element 3a around the diameter axis 202, each knitting loop of the last half of the knitting row is overlapped on the corresponding knitting loop of the other half of the row on the same spoke 4 of the processing device. - Sew or stitch together pairs of knitted loops that are stacked on top of each other; – The product is removed from the processing unit 60.

[0057] Preferably, the retaining part 5 includes a body 5a that is radially elastically deformable relative to the extension direction 102 of the spoke 4 to change from an extended state to a retracted state, wherein in the extended state it has a first space occupancy in the radial direction, and in the retracted state it has a second space occupancy smaller than the first space occupancy.

[0058] Advantageously, the elastically deformable body 5a is configured to change from an extended state to a retracted state due to the sliding of the corresponding coil at the holding part 5, and is adapted to change from a retracted state to an extended state once the coil has moved beyond the holding part 5.

[0059] For example, the elastically deformable body 5a includes a leaf spring.

[0060] According to a possible embodiment, the stacking step includes a pushing step, for example by means of a pressing element or pusher 6, pushing the knitted coils arranged around the spokes 4 of the semi-circular element 3b toward the corresponding spokes of the other semi-circular element 3a.

[0061] In practice, it has been found that the present invention achieves the intended purpose and objective by providing a device for closing a tubular knitted article at one axial end, which allows for a simplified operation of transferring the article from a circular knitting machine to a sewing station or a stitching station.

[0062] In particular, the solution provided allows for extremely efficient management of the transfer of knitted coils from the pick-up component to the spokes in practice.

[0063] The present invention, conceived in this way, can be modified and varied in many ways, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all details may also be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0064] In practice, the materials used can be any materials available and in accordance with existing technology, as long as they are compatible with the specific purpose and the associated shape and size.

[0065] This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102023000015648, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] When a technical feature mentioned in any claim is followed by a reference numeral, the sole purpose of including such reference numerals is to increase the comprehensibility of the claim; therefore, such reference numerals do not limit the interpretation of each element exemplified by these reference numerals.

Claims

1. A method for closing a tubular knitted article (101) at one axial end at the end of a production cycle on a circular knitting machine used for socks or the like, characterized in that, The method includes the following initial steps: – The article (101) is produced to the formation of the last knitted row by holding the knitted loops of the last knitted row on the needle of the machine that forms them, the last knitted row being knitted at the axial end of the article located opposite the axial end of the knitting start; and the following steps: – The knitted loops are picked up individually using the picking member (11); – Remove the article (101) from the machine that produced the article (101), and retain each knit loop of the last knit row by means of the pick-up member (11); – Position the product (101) at the sewing station or the stitching station; – The knitted loop is individually transferred from the pickup member (11) to the spoke (4) of the ring processing device (60), which includes two semi-ring elements (3a, 3b), one of which is capable of flipping about a diameter axis (202) relative to the other semi-ring element. At least one first set of spokes of the spoke (4) has at least one holding portion (5) along its longitudinal extension (102), which extends laterally relative to the longitudinal extension axis (102) of the spoke (4). The individual transfer step includes the step of translating the corresponding knitted loop from the pickup member (11) at least to the corresponding holding portion (5) of the corresponding spoke (4) of the at least one first set of spokes of the spoke. - Flip the article (101) held by the processing device (60). – By means of rotating one of the two semi-circular elements (3b) of the processing device (60) about 180° relative to the other semi-circular element (3a) around the diameter axis (202), each knitting loop of the last half knitting row is stacked on the corresponding knitting loop of the other half knitting row on the same spoke (4) of the processing device (60). - Sew or stitch together pairs of knitted loops that are stacked on top of each other; – The article (101) is removed from the processing device (60).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The retaining part (5) includes a body (5a) which is elastically deformable in the radial direction relative to the extension direction (102) of the spoke (4) to change from an extended state to a retracted state. In the extended state, the body has a first space occupancy in the radial direction, while in the retracted state, the body has a second space occupancy smaller than the first space occupancy.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The elastically deformable body (5a) is configured to change from the extended state to the retracted state due to the sliding of the corresponding coil at the holding part (5), and is adapted to change from the retracted state to the extended state once the coil has moved past the holding part (5).

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The elastically deformable body (5a) includes leaf springs.

5. An apparatus for closing a tubular knitted article (101) at the axial end of a production cycle on a circular knitting machine for socks or the like, the apparatus comprising: - Pick-up device (10), the pick-up device (10) having an annular body supporting a pick-up member (11), the pick-up member (11) being able to engage with the needle of the machine and being adapted to pick up the knitting loop held on the needle individually; the pick-up device (10) being able to move from a pick-up position to a release position according to an instruction, in the pick-up position, the body of the pick-up device (10) being arranged coaxially around the needle cylinder of the machine, and in the release position, the body of the pick-up device (10) being arranged at a sewing station or a stitching station laterally spaced from the machine; – A processing device (60) is arranged at the sewing station or the eyelet sewing station and has an annular body (3) comprising two semi-annular elements (3a, 3b) having spokes (4) arranged along a cylindrical surface having an axis (100) that coincides with and is axially oriented to the axis (11a) of the body of the processing device (60); one of the two semi-annular elements (3b) is allowed to be rotated relative to the other semi-annular element (3a) about a diameter axis (202) so that the spokes (4) of the one semi-annular element face and align with the spokes (4) of the other semi-annular element, so that the knitting loops are transferred from the spokes of the one semi-annular element to the spokes of the other semi-annular element of the body of the processing device (60). - A flipper (130) for tubular articles (101), the flipper (130) being arranged at the sewing station or the eyelet sewing station and being operable to flip the tubular articles held at the axial end of the flipper by the spokes (4) of the processing device (60). - A sewing head or a matching sewing head (170) is arranged at the matching sewing station and is provided with a sewing element or a matching sewing element that interacts with the spokes (4) of the semi-circular element of the body of the processing device (60) to close the axial end of the article by connecting the pairs of knitted loops carried by the same spokes (4) of the semi-circular element of the body of the processing device (60). The spoke (4) is characterized in that at least one first set of spokes has at least one holding portion (5) along its longitudinal extension (102), the holding portion (5) extending laterally relative to the longitudinal extension axis of the pick-up spoke (4), and is further provided with an axial pushing device (6), the axial pushing device (6) interacting with the pick-up member (11) of the pick-up device (10) and with the spoke (4) of the processing device (60) at the sewing station or the eyelet sewing station to transfer the knitted loops individually from the pick-up member (11) to the spoke (4) of the processing device (60), the axial pushing device (6) being adapted to translate the knitted loops of the first set of spokes intended to be transferred to the spokes at least to the corresponding holding portion (5).

6. The device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The retaining part (5) includes a body (5a) which is elastically deformable in the radial direction relative to the extension direction (102) of the pickup spoke (4) to change from an extended state to a retracted state. In the extended state, the body (5a) has a first space occupancy in the radial direction, while in the retracted state, the body (5a) has a second space occupancy smaller than the first space occupancy.

7. The device (1) according to one or more of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that, The elastically deformable body (5a) is configured to change from the extended state to the retracted state due to the sliding of the corresponding knitted coil at the holding part (5), and is adapted to change from the retracted state to the extended state once the coil has moved past the holding part (5).

8. The device according to one or more of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, The elastically deformable body (5a) includes leaf springs.

9. The device (1) according to one or more of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, The first set of pickup spokes (4) having at least one retaining part (5) includes pickup spokes of the semi-annular elements (3a, 3b) arranged close to the diameter axis (202), the semi-annular elements (3b) being rotatable about the diameter axis (202).

10. The device (1) according to one or more of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that, The first set of pickup spokes (4) includes all the spokes of the semi-annular elements (3a, 3b).

11. The device (1) according to one or more of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that, The flipped semi-annular element (3b) is supported by a swing structure (3c) so that it can rotate about the axis (202), the swing structure (3c) having at least one hinge (3d, 3d′) for hinged to the semi-annular element (3b), and the hinge is arranged externally relative to the extension of the annular body (3).

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